Allston Christmas Brings Gift of Fines to Landlords

Boston’s housing inspectors were on the prowl Monday, handing out violations and stronger penalties to landlords with substandard units and buildings. The crackdown comes as students swap apartments all over the city ahead of the new school year. It also follows The Boston Globe Spotlight Team’s eye-popping investigation of the city’s crumbling student housing and the lack of enforcement by the city in previous years.

Outside a rundown house on Highgate Street in Allston, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said at a news conference Monday that officials had found 120 housing violations and issued 21 tickets of $300 each for unsafe or unsanitary units and 1,100 tickets for code violations.

“The bottom line is the city of Boston is being proactive,” he said. “We are getting on top of student housing now, before the problem gets more dangerous.”